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According to an article on Shmoop "Forrest Gump opens and closes with the image of a white feather floating through the air. In the opening, it comes to rest in Forrest's suitcase. At the end, it flies back up into the air, helping to symbolize the cycle that has now been completed- specifically, the cycle of life and death, and of new beginnings. After all, the first day of school just like Forrest did at the beginning go the movie. It symbolizes Forrest's view of life rather than Lt. Dan's; there's no big destiny endgame we're all trying to achieve, there's just a random series of events knocking us about."
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Forrest Gump (1986) is also a novel written by American novelist Winston Groom. The book was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter Eric Roth. Forrest Gump won the 1995 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.
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A million-dollar wound referenced in the movie is a military slang referring to a type of wound received in combat which is serious enough to get the person sent away from the fighting, but is not fatal, nor will it leave the person permanently crippled. I.e. getting shot in the buttocks.
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The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award that can be conferred on any soldier who shows exceptional valor during combat, what the US armed forces often call "action above and beyond the call of duty." Forrest was awarded the medal because he carried most of the wounded men of his squad, including his commanding officer, Lt. Dan Taylor, to safety from a hostile combat zone.
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The makers of Forrest Gump identify themselves as political liberals (in American parlance). However, since the film was released in 1994, some scholars have argued that it promotes conservative ideals, rejecting Jenny's counterculture habits (showing her dying of AIDS as a result of her choices) and rewarding Forrest's 1950s family values and clean-cut behavior with long life and financial success. Others consider this a manipulative reading of the film. Read both sides of the discussion here.
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Spoilers

Those who have both seen the movie and read the book say that there are quite a few differences. Generally, they say that the book is even sillier than the movie and that the book doesn't have the tragedy that the movie has. Forrest lives with Jenny for a long time before Jenny gets fed up with him and leaves. The book, more so than the film, pokes fun at Forrest. There's a long, slapstick sequence where Forrest spends time with his buddy Sue the orangutan. Forrest is more cynical and abrasive in the novel, and his fantastic adventures are the primary focus as opposed to the love story. Jenny and Mrs. Gump do not die in the novel.
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